2010-08-09
Holy liturgy at Panagia Soumela on August 15th!
The first liturgy at Panagia Soumela monastery since 1922. In 78 years have the Pontian Greeks waited to once again experience a holy liturgy at the Panagia Soumela monastery up in the Trapezounta's (Trabzon's) mountains since the Turkish goverment had forbidden it. The liturgy will be held on the day of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th and will be executed by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

1922 was the year when the last Pontian Greeks were forced to leave Pontos and the Turkish goverment has since not allowed any liturgies in the almost 1,800 year old monastery, which for us Pontian Greeks is the most valuable religious monument from the old country. The Christian Orthodox Patriarchate in Constantinople (Istanbul) have applied for many years for permission by the Turkish Ministry of Culture to execute a holy liturgy in the monastery but have always been declined.

After a lot of pressure, especially from influential Pontian Greeks from Russia, the Turkish Minister of Culture Mr. Ertuğrul Günay has finally given his permission so that a holy liturgy can be executed. This decision has been wired all over the world and about 10,000 Pontian Greeks are expected to make the pilgrimage to Trapezounta and further to Matsouka (Maçka), the district where the monastery belongs to.

The Mayor of Maçka Mr. Ertuğrul Genç has, after the historic decision, travelled by himself to the Patriarch and invited him to his town and the monastery and noticed that his presence is a big honour for him personally and the population of his town. Even the Mayor of Trapezounta Mr. Orhan Fevzi Gümrükçüoğlu has commented in Turkish press about the big day and urged the local population to open their homes and embrace the city's guests and show the visiting Greeks their hospitality.

The Panagia Soumela monastery was erected in 386 AD by the Greek monks Varnavas and Sofronios. The monastery is built on the cliffside of the Pontian Mountains south of the city of Trapezounta 1,063 meters over sea level. On almost 1,800 years the monastery has survived attacks, wars, crusades and the Genocide of the Pontian Greeks. Today it is operated as an museum under the jurisdiction of the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

The Greek National Television channel ET3 will be sending the liturgy live during the whole day and possibly so will their satellite channel ERT World. We would like to add that our friend and journalist Georgios Georgiadis who works at ET3 was the urging force so that the live transmission can be carried threw. Georgios Georgiadis has visited our association after an invitation where he held a lecture about the Pontian Greek Genocide.